Gallant: The Forbes 30 Under 30 Q&A

With the release of the latest 30 Under 30 package, the newest batch of Music category standouts joins a list of alums that includes Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Drake and Halsey. We asked members of the incoming class questions to learn where they come from and what makes them tick. Among the most impressive: Gallant, whose song “Weight In Gold” and album Ology have earned him fans from Seal to Elton John. FORBES sat down with the genre-bending singer-songwriter last month; the interview has been edited for length and clarity.

FORBES: Was there an "aha" moment for you when you were like, "This is what I want to do; this is what I am going to do as a profession"?

GALLANT: I think the closest that I got to the "aha" moment was probably just as a teenager, like a young kid saying to my friend, "Hey, you know, I think this is what I want to try and do." And then, my friend's like, "Oh, these songs are the worst things I've ever heard." ... And it's cool, because what really got me into music and motivated me to continue was not people saying, "Oh, you're so great," because [the music] wasn't, and nobody said that to me. But I felt myself progressing on an exponential level just every time I would work through any situation creatively and lyrically.

FORBES: What would you say was your big break, if you had to pick a moment?

GALLANT: My big break? I don't think I really had it yet, to be honest.

FORBES: What was the biggest crowd you've ever performed for? And what was the smallest crowd you've ever performed for?

GALLANT: There are a few festivals where I could tell -- Coachella being one of them ... it was definitely a shock that I was kind of alone on the stage in front of all these people. But it was just an experience so vastly different from the smallest crowds, which I would say, when I first moved to L.A., I would go in a room and I'd have maybe four or five people there to see me at the Bootleg or The Satellite.

FORBES: Best day and worst day as a musician that you can remember?

GALLANT: I know that there's probably a really great best day and a really great worst day. But I will say, just throughout the entirety of this year, especially during my tour, there have been days where I really missed the foundations that I had in Los Angeles. Because, you know, I've lived there for three years, and that's my home. So, at times, I want to just be in my bed watching my giant TV and hanging out with friends that I met when I was living there. And, when I'm on tour, I don't really get the opportunity to do that.

FORBES: Which artists would you say are your biggest inspirations or influences along the way?

GALLANT: Honestly, there are so many. You know, being born in the '90s, the way I listened to music, I just went on the internet, and I just downloaded everything. I didn't pay for music, really. And so, I feel like that loyalty isn't necessarily there. But, when you hear something that feels like it was just kind of stolen from somebody's private kind of bedroom, or something that was just ripped out of someone's journal, it like oozes this authenticity that you can't recreate. And there's so many artists that fit into that category. And Seal, obviously, is one of them for me. He defined himself as an individual more so than a check box under like a category. Which, unfortunately, I feel like people are really quick to try and do to artists, you know, categorize them, put them in a box.

FORBES: What do you wish you knew when you were starting out?

GALLANT: I wish that I knew, when I was starting out, that it really doesn't matter that much. I think there was a period of time, I guess, when ... I kind of fell out of step and kind of started listening to what my peers were saying at the time. And there was so much focus on just the exterior, just all the aesthetics that are associated with being a musician. And, for a second, I got fooled into thinking that that was true. And, when I just really got too separated from my values, and decided to leave New York and move to L.A. and just kind of reconnect with who I was, that's when, ironically, I started to A) get back to the kind of roots that made me fall in love with music in the first place; and then, B) started to meet people who didn't seem like a snake, you know, who were actually interested in the same kind of thing that I was interested in when it came to making music. And that's been the team that's really helped make this year possible for me.

FORBES: Any predictions about the music industry in 2017?

GALLANT: I think that 2016 was already pretty political. I think 2017 is going to be a little bit even more passionate in terms of reacting to politics, social issues that people feel very strongly about. But I hope it doesn't get to the point where it kind of becomes a little bit of a selling point more than a message.

FORBES: Where do you see yourself in five years?

GALLANT: Hopefully, I am in a room playing video games, maybe playing some Settlers of Catan with some friends who are in the area. But, as far as what is going on outside of that room, I honestly have no idea. It could be anything. It could be a dressing room for some crazy tour. It could be that house that I live in now. You know, I have no idea. But, as long as I don't get separated from what keeps my feet firmly planted on the earth, then I'll be happy with that.